"The existing temple of democracy is completing 100 years... It is a matter of pride for our countrymen that the new one will be built by our own people as a prime example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," Birla said announcing details of the new proposed building in the national capital.
"The new building will showcase the cultural diversity of the country. Hopefully, in the 75th year of independence (2022), Parliament session will be held in the new building," he said.
New Parliament Building: Special Features
i.) The new building will be earthquake resistant and around 2,000 people will be directly involved in the construction of the new building and 9,000 indirectly.
ii.) As many as 1,224 MPs can sit together in the building, while a new office complex for all MPs of both the houses would be built at the site of the existing Shram Shakti Bhawan.
iii.) The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres and is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore, Birla said adding that the outlook of the new building will be similar to the existing one.
iv.) There will be a basement, ground, first and second floors in the new building and its height will be same as the old building so that both should are in symmetry.
v.) Sufficient steps have been taken to control air and noise pollution during the construction work for the new parliament building, which will have separate offices for all MPs and those will be equipped with the latest digital interfaces as a step towards creating 'paperless offices'.
vi.) The new building will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.
vii.) In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for the upper house members.
All About The Existing Parliament Building
The existing Parliament building will be conserved as it is an archaeological asset of the country.
The existing building is a British era building, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi.
The Foundation Stone of the existing Parliament House was laid on February 12, 1921 and the construction took six years and cost Rs 83 lakh at that time. The opening ceremony was performed on January 18, 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.
The existing Parliament House building will be suitably retro-fitted to provide more functional spaces for parliamentary events, to ensure its usage along with the new building.
The existing building is a massive circular edifice of 560 feet in diameter. The Parliament House Estate is enclosed by an ornamental red sandstone wall or iron grills with iron gates that can be closed when occasions demand. The building has twelve gates.
As per rules, the speaker of the lower house of parliament is also the custodian of the parliament building.
Ground Laying Ceremony Details
The invitation will be extended to all political parties. While some would attend physically and others would attend virtually. The ground laying ceremony at 1 pm on December 10 would follow all Covid-related guidelines.